R.I.P. Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP)

Dec 31, 2016 — Today is the last day of medical marijuana as we have known it. Tomorrow OHA regulated dispensaries can no longer sell marijuana to non medical patients. This means almost all dispensaries will switch to OLCC. When stores switch, then medical growers can no longer sell to them. In other words, the system where OMMP growers flawlessly provided the marijuana supply for the entire state of Oregon is being abandoned for the fatally flawed new system.

There are over 35,000 medical growers that can sell to dispensaries. There are less than 1000 OLCC producers that can sell to OLCC stores.

If this sounds like OMMP growers being thrown under the bus, it is. And when the growers who have been providing free or very low cost marijuana to patients are forced out, their patients will lose their supply. Greedy legislators seem to think that these patients will just start buying at OLCC stores even though many of these patients never will because they can’t afford it.

This latest blow to the OMMP comes after so many others, it is hard to tell how catastrophic it will be for the OMMP but I predict that this will be the worst.

If you were a voter that supported M91 because it included language protecting the OMMP, it is time to make your voice heard in Salem. Over regulation is killing the medical marijuana program and is making legal marijuana commerce a nightmare even for the people who can navigate these murky waters. If you voted against legalization because you feared this would happen, then your voice needs to be heard too.